Supporters

Meet our Partnership Development Managers

Graeme Hodgson is Partnership Development Manager for the Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education at Anglia Ruskin University. His background is in Education, with over 20 years of professional experience overseas, ranging from English Language Teaching in Brazil - and CPD for teachers throughout Latin America - to textbook Publishing and Project Management for international collaboration. Since 2006, he has also been an academic supervisor for postgraduates on a Distance Learning programme with the University of Birmingham.

Q: Can you tell me about your role?

A: I have the exciting challenge of taking the knowledge and expertise of our academics at the university and seeking partners in the local and wider community who can benefit from that and are therefore motivated to invest in further research or consultancy in the fields of health, social care and education.

Q: What type of organisations does the Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education work with?

A: Recently, I’ve had meetings with local government bodies, businesses, professional associations, national think tanks, charities and social enterprises, with care homes for older people as an example of an organisation that can fall into several of those categories. I’ve also attended meetings with grass roots community organisations seeking to improve quality of life and opportunities for more marginalised groups. We are keen to engage with anyone who understands how a university can support their goals in a way which is mutually beneficial and benefits society more widely.

Q: What services does Anglia Ruskin provide?

A: We provide consultancy, contract research, access to networking opportunities and events, as well as informal advice on the areas that our experts have spent their lives studying and experiencing first hand as professionals in the fields covered by our several faculties. Although I work closely with just one Faculty, we frequently adopt an interdisciplinary approach to devising solutions and may well involve colleagues from the Faculty of Science and Technology or the Lord Ashcroft International Business School, to name just two. Another important part of the work done by ARU to support businesses are Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, where we can arrange for graduates or staff to work very closely with local businesses to support product development, for example. The university also has EU-funded Research Institutes looking at gamification and artificial intelligence, both of which can benefit organisations in unexpected ways, regardless of their field.

Q: How else could an organisation benefit from working with ARU?

A: Rather than presenting businesses with a ready-made recipe or a ‘shopping list’ of what we seek from them, we prefer to sit down initially for a frank and open discussion about their own interests and needs. Perhaps they’ve identified an opportunity they’d like to explore by applying the latest knowledge or thinking, or perhaps they have already done some impactful work which they’d like the university to measure and report on. This way, we can co-design with our partners the best product, service or piece of research to move the partnership on to the next level, perhaps accessing EU or UK government funding as a result of our collaboration.

Q: How can an organisation learn more about engaging with the Faculty and ARU?

A: I am happy to visit businesses and other organisations throughout the East of England in order to discuss potential synergies and areas of common interest, after which I can help identify the experts at Anglia Ruskin University who would be best suited to providing research or consultancy.

A: Well, in addition to being a father of four, I am a keen linguist and am fascinated by other languages and cultures. I’m currently learning Mandarin and look forward to having the opportunity to visit China. I’ve just taken up tai chi and also returned to the gym in Cambridge, where I live, for a slightly more aerobic approach to staying in shape!

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